Johanna Konta made her efforts to hold her game together for success at the AEGON Open in Nottingham Saturday afternoon. The number one seed the desperate attacks from Magdalena Rybarikova to hold her in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 on Centre Court at Nottingham Tennis Centre. Konta’s powerful offense in the opening set led her to the notion of her chance to pick up a third WTA title this season. It was her first time getting to a grass court final and a chance to make history for not only herself but her country.
The two met at the Open two years ago where the Brit handled Rybarikova in straight sets in what was an opening round matchup. With much more at stake going into this year’s, the leverage remained heavy with the Brit as her power gave her every chance of moving forward. The 28-year-old earned her quarterfinal victory over Ahn leaving her with her biggest challenge of the week.
The number one seed opened with a sizable lead before the Slovakian found her way to ending the shutout. She picked up a second game winner but it wasn’t enough to stop the pace Konta had already put into motion. The second was more of a tight race as Rybarikova warmed up much like the weather to show her competitive spirit.
In a last-ditch effort, she got into the important five all tie with Konta to force the set onward with the hope of pushing a third set into action. The Brit denied her that chance as she held her end to together, putting a lid on the match that took less than two hours to complete.
The high ranked British star put herself in a situation not seen in some time. With her finals match secured, she’ll await the winner between Czech star Lucie Safarova and Croatian Donna Vekic. If Konta wins, she would become the first British woman to win on home soil since Virginia Wade last won in 1977.
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